Prep is Everything

Here we are a few weeks away from starting school. We will officially start on Sept 1st. Wow! The amount of information out there and ideas are overwhelming and helpful at the same time. I have a folder I am keeping all school related stuff in. Primarily I have been looking to find ways to keep Bry entertained and busy so we can get things accomplished. I have been impressed with what I have found and now have a much better plan in place.

I have not been doing the whole school routine yet, but have been taking it in steps. Today I laid out my plastic tablecloth on the floor and had Bry making noodle bracelets and putting pom poms from one container to another. When she got tired of that she cleaned it up and I put her in her high chair with washable markers and paper. Mean while Bodie did some other things I wanted him to work on. He was able to stay on task and she was not into things I did not want her to be in.

I actually find it easier to have things set up for her to do rather than her making her own fun. It does mean a lot of research on websites for ideas, and it still means clean up no changing that. However, it is contained clean up and all clean up that I have prepared for. 

I am realizing that I make things so much harder for myself when I let them direct themselves. The times that Bodie is most difficult is when I do not have something planned and he just makes his own fun. Lately with 102 temps outside and our outside activity so limited it is a challenge to keep him busy. Yet, consistently if I have a project for him to do he can and will focus. If I don't, I have him running laps around the furniture and jumping off couches. The difference is amazing.

So while it may a lot of prep to keep their minds busy, it is so much easier than what I get if I don't.

I Must Be Crazy

Suddenly she sees herself as others might possibly view her, " She must be crazy." and she thinks to herself, " yeah, probably but it might possibly be a little fun on the way."

So, I'm due to have my third child on Christmas day, I thought I was done, but somebody has other plans. I'm sad to say I cried at first, the selfish reaction of one who frequently forgets that God is running this show called my life.

I wasn't sure how I was ever going to be able to handle having another child, was afraid of further losing my identity, or what I perceived my identity to be.

To further up the stakes I have decided to homeschool my son starting the end of this month and knew that I would be beginning that with a toddler and soon after a newborn......and just where was my identity again?

So many fears and doubts crowd your head as a parent anyway and then as a new homeschool parent too that I felt fearful, doubtful, and stressed.

Yet somehow I now have a peace about the whole thing....

I CAN DO THIS!

And it's not because I'm so prepared, even though I have researched and studied. I have covered topics on styles of homeschooling, organization tips, tips on keeping a toddler busy while teaching your older kids, and state requirements. I have printed, written, catagorized, and aquired more info than I can probably sort through in a school year. I have heard both sides and concerns of the issues at hand.

And it's not because I am a glutton for punishment, even though some probably think so. (though there are likely to be days when I feel like that)

And it's not because I'm religious......even though I am a follower of Christ.

It's because, today, I believe this is the best choice for my son's education.

Does this mean I may not change my mind in the future? Absolutely not. This is right for today. Circumstances may change in the future. I reserve the right to decide year by year according to my children, their strengths and weaknesses, according to my strengths and weaknesses.

Some of my weaknesses are already being challenged and exposed and I believe that will bring growth.

I don't think it will be a cake walk. Having a newborn brings its own set of challenges. But, where I felt fear before, now I feel determination and I feel peace....at least today.

There will be people who think I'm crazy, (sssh don't tell anyone it's true) and people who think it's great. I won't get it all right no matter what I do and so I aspire to do the best I can as a parent and teacher and recognize that there will be times that I fail miserably at both as every parent does.

WHAT WE DO WHEN IT WONT STOP RAINING

WHAT WE DO AROUND HERE FOR FUN IS

NOT YOUR ORDINARY FUN:

BUILDING A RETAINING WALL TO DIVERT THE WATER

SURE BEATS STAYING INSIDE!                                                                                                                                                         

IN THE END.....A GIRL HAS TO FIND SOMETHING TO WASH HER HANDS IN.

Feeding Time

Feeding time at our place is no ordinary undertaking. We have four horses, three of which are ours, two big labs, and multiple barn cats. The whole feeding routine is kind of complicated right now because we are attempting to get something green, other than four foot tall weeds to grow in our front pasture area. So feeding involves a lot of walking because we have to go to the back pasture to get the two that come up at night. When the four wheeler is working it goes pretty fast. I turn waters on, zoom out and make sure the hoses are all connected, grab one horse, lead him up by four wheeler, and let the other walk up on her own ( she is old and goes straight to her stall.) However, right now the four wheeler is dead so this means a lot of walking time. Average dry walking time is pretty quick, I can move right fast with the right motivation. But, lets forward to this week in Texas where the rain has been fairly noticable as of late. There I am in my lovely camo waders (it isn't pretty but cuts down on the messy) wading, quite literally through four feet scratchy weeds, sweltering heat, one cat that refuses to get more than a couple of feet in front of me and is also well known for plopping down right in your path, and a couple of large dogs darting in and out of the weeds. All considered I can still make fairly good time slipping and sliding my way there. Now add one little tiny girl who is desperate to help you feed to the mix. She carries the scoop with feed in it. She will not let you put it in the bucket you carry, she does not want you to help her in any way, she trips through the weeds and  spills feed out of her scoop, but refuses to move on until she has picked up what she has spilled. At last we are back on track but I have to frequently stop on the way so she can catch up. Right when you are satisfied that she is almost caught up she sees a grasshopped and more feed spills as she tries to get a good look. At last we make it to the back pasture where the other two horses stay out for the night. She insists on dumping the feed herself. The reward for doing all that work? Getting to sit on the horses back for just a few moments while she eats her food is all it takes......oh yea and knowing that momma will feel sorry for you and carry you all the way back to the house.

A Walk Across The Desert Can Get You Bit By Sharks

Life has a way of being funny even if you aren't aiming for funny. Sometimes things happen that don't seem so funny at the time and then looking back later you see the humor. Sometimes I don't really see the humor, but others around me think it's a hoot. Infact, I had a friend tell me the other day that I really need to write down the things that happen to me on a day to day basis. Frankly, I don't think my life is interesting enough for a daily dialogue. However, I do realize that I have more than my fair share of "odd" happenings.
 For instance, one day last week, a friend and client of mine came out to ride her horse (she keeps him at our place) She had just been out three days earlier to ride. When we grabbed her saddle I noticed a little web on it. I really didn't think much of it, I mean it was in a barn. Suddenly there were spiders crawling out of her saddle all over the place. Now, I may be a country girl, but I am not big on bugs. One spider that came out went back in the saddle kind of under the fleece and horn. So now we are trying to figure out how to get the spider out and make sure there aren't more before we put it on the horse. Our only thought was to grab a bottle of fly spray and spray it down in there. We did and sure enough out comes that spider and another one. Finally we had managed to rid the saddle of spiders, but not without covering ourselves and the saddle with flyspray. Really I thought I don't know anyone else who has had something so dumb happen. The thing of it is I have stuff like this happen all the time. My old boss used to say I could be walking across the desert and get bit by a shark.......you know I'm starting to think he might be on to something.

Let Spilled Be Spilled Milk

Today I went to my bible study I go to every Wed. It's a woman's bible study and really covers every single topic that you could think of that relates to women and the different struggles they face. It's all about the bondage we put ourselves into and how much more free we would be if we let go of some of the things that keep us from enjoying freedom in Christ. The bondage today was time. I know this is a big thing for me and a lot of women. You only have to look at my earlier post to see I am trying to find ways to stretch the hours I have. I actually feel guilty taking the time to write this because I could be folding a load of laundry, or watering the garden, or sweeping the floor.We, as women, put so much pressure on ourselves that it is no wonder we can't ever find quiet time.
As I was running out of the house to get to my bible study on time and rushing the kids, I thought I am yelling at my kids so I can make it on time to learn how to be more Christ-like. If only I can apply that in my everyday life it would make a difference. I don't have to have anything miraculous happen, I just want to be able to remember in the heat of the moment how to respond in a better way. We get so wrapped up that every day inconveniences become emergencies. I see that response in me a lot. I wanna let go and enjoy these tender years some and not get worked up over the small things........let spilled milk be spilled milk.  

Organization Is The Key.

Often times it takes doing things the hard way before you learn. Some of you, who are organized by nature, may wonder why this is such a revelation. This is written for those of you who are not naturally organized and are learning every day how much it pays to be so.

 I, for one, am tired of running around in circles and being stressed by trying to keep up with it all. If you are not a naturally born organized person you try adding a few kids to the mix and see if you don't lose your mind. I have seen people with large families who run like a well oiled machine, and large families who don't. In comparing the two, it is the families who are organized that operate the greatest.

I have a long ways to go in getting organized, but one of the biggest things I can do right now is to be a better manager of my time. The other day I was giving my eighteen month old a bath. She likes to play for a bit after her bath. Since leaving her in the bathroom by herself is not an option, I found myself sitting on the toilet and feeling like I was wasting time. One day while sitting there I looked around and saw how terribly messy my bathroom is. It truly is one of the messiest rooms because most people don't see it so I don't clean it as often. I decided from now on while waiting I was going to make it a habit of cleaning or picking up something as I waited. Suddenly, on a consistent basis my bathroom is looking much better.

Why has this not crossed my mind before? Being neat does not come natural for me. This is such a small thing that requires no more than about fifteen minutes. However, when you are spending fifteen minutes in an area on a consistent basis, it is amazing how much cleaner the place becomes.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day, who also has really young kids, and is not naturally neat. Both of us have the same problem. We clean all day, feel like we never stop working, yet the house does not look clean. She said to me that she starts all these things, but rarely finishes them. I realized that is the same thing I do. All day long I work, but I do not follow through or finish the job very well. I may wash clothes all day, but then they lay on the bed waiting to be put away or folded. At the end of the night when I am ready to fall into bed, there is the mountainous pile of clothes. By this time of night I just move them all unfolded over to my little table. In the morning I start washing again, adding to my already huge problem. I have started forcing myself to fold and put away the ones I get out of the dryer. If you actually turn on the timer, it takes less than ten minutes to fold and put away. It is silly that I can not stick to something for fifteen minutes at a time.

I take on projects that are too big. The other day it was so pretty outside I was itching to get out there and work. Rather than set my timer for fifteen or twenty minutes, I just went to work. I decided to weed all the thistles in my back yard. I went to work and weeded for an hour an a half. ( had no idea that much time went by as my daughter was sleeping and my son was happily digging in the dirt as well) Suddenly, I realized I had thirty minutes before I needed to leave to give some horseback lessons. I flew around trying to gather snacks for my kids, get my daughter up and shoes on, and get out the door to make it on time. Two hours later, when my husband came home, he surely wondered what had happened. The back yard looked like an armadillo had been digging all over, with weeds strewn every where, inside the dishes were all over the counter because I  had not cleaned up our lunch dishes before I went outside, there was stuff flung all over the living room as I had been racing through the house gathering things to take, and piles of unfolded laundry on our bed. Does this sound familiar? I had truly worked hard all day, but if anyone had walked into our house it would look like chaos.

From now on I have to make myself set the timer. If I had pulled weeds for fifteen minutes, I would have also had time to wash and put away the dirty dishes, fold the laundry, get the kids ready and not been rushed. The house would have looked neat and I would not have been all stressed out and yelling at the kids to hurry out the door.

I can look at these patterns of behavior and see that if I were more organized my day would feel and look more productive. It doesn't take special containers or gadgets ( although those might help too) but simply following through and finishing one thing at a time.....little by little.